Messages received from Americans prior to the launching of this website:

Below are messages from Americans contributed to this project prior to the launching of this website:

To my dear brothers and sisters throughout the Muslim world,

Many greetings of love and peace from America.

I have gathered these messages from Americans that seek to share with you our lives and our wishes to reach out to you, our brothers and sisters in the Muslim world, to build bonds of friendship, love, and peace.

I was inspired to create this book after visiting Egypt on an Arabic language study and cultural exchange program, because while I was there Egyptians asked me questions about what Americans think of Arabs and Muslims. I was surprised to hear that some Egyptians had the misperception that Americans dislike Muslims or that Muslims are not treated well in America. Some Americans have the impression that people in Muslim countries dislike or want to hurt Americans, but I did not know that some people in Muslim countries also have the same impression of Americans’ attitudes toward them.

I realized that there are a lot of misperceptions between our cultures, but that in reality, we have many similarities, and most of us in each culture love and respect each other. Unfortunately, our opportunities to meet each other, to listen to each other, and to learn from each other are too few.

This led me to create this project, to attempt to enable you to hear the voices of Americans through the sharing of our messages with all of you. Here you will find messages from my family, friends, church members, coworkers, and strangers. Americans young and old, of diverse religious and political affiliations, from all walks of life, responded enthusiastically to my message-gathering project. They are eager to be better understood and to understand you better, so that we will not have false images of each other and we will be able to live together in peace and love, the way God intended us to.

Please accept these messages as a gift from the American people to all the people of the Muslim world. If you have messages that you would like to share with Americans, please send them to me.

God bless you and all you hold dear, my dear brothers and sisters. May all people recognize that we are all God’s children and one human family, and may we work together to spread peace and love throughout our world.

Love and blessings,
Rebecca
Rebecca.cataldi@gmail.com


Dear Arab and Muslim Brother and Sister,

As God created all of us we belong to Him. Let us share peace and love with each other and serve God with all our mind, heart and soul as He commanded. I am very sorry for all the bad feelings people have for each other and hope and pray you feel this way also.

Working together we can make this a better world for everyone and give our children a happy future.

I urge you to pray hard for me and for world peace and am praying for you.

Let us truly love each other as Brothers and Sisters.

Sincerely,
Robert


Dear Friends,

I pray that one day you will know our friendship and love. I feel like all the noise drowns out the reality of our lives—quiet mornings with our families, jobs that help our societies, laughs with our neighbors and friends. I know in my heart that you share our priorities: to raise our children in love and peace and to give thanks to God for his many gifts! I wish you peace!

Sincerely,
Laura


Dear Friends—
I am a Christian American—and I pray that God will bring peace to our world. I believe that all people share more similarities than differences and that the more we learn about one another—the easier it will be to spread peace and love in the world. I wish you love, happiness, and peace…
Brenda


Dear Brothers and Sisters
I am a Christian American from Northern Virginia. I hope and pray that we will have peace in our world and especially in areas of the world where people suffer war, persecution, and poverty. I pray that we will all learn to serve the cause of peace and charity and live our faiths. I hope that our nations, our faiths, and especially us as individual people will grow to a greater understanding.
May God bless you,
R. Scott G…


Dear brothers and sisters,
I am a Muslim. I am also American. As a student at Georgetown, I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I have been to live my life as a Muslim in this country. The Muslim community in America, especially at Georgetown, is vibrant. We are strong because we recognize our brotherhood and sisterhand knows no boundaries: spiritually or geographically. I hope someday you who reads this will be able to appreciate the sense of community that is inherent within Islam, that I experience every day as a Muslim in America.
With peace.


Dear Brothers and Sisters—
I hope that one day our nations will be in peace. As a Muslim American, I feel for all my brothers and sisters around the world. I hope that we can unite and stand up against injustice, as our Holy Qu’ran teaches us to do. Keep the faith.
Hafsa…

Dear Brothers and Sisters—
I truly believe that one day there will be peace on earth. As a U.S. Department of State employee, I’m a firm believer that we can all live as one race…the human race with peace, love and harmony!
Richard K.

Dear Friends,

My name is Kate. I am 6. I hope you still Love. I can’t wait until the fighting is over.

Love
Kate
(Drawing of a heart and a peace sign)

To our brothers and sisters all over the Earth…
Let us pray together that all people…in all lands will someday think, feel, and live in Peace, Harmony, and Love.
Lani

We can all learn from the wisdom of the earliest Americans, whose constant goal was “Harmony in the Universe…”

Native American
Prayer for Peace
O Great Spirit of our ancestors
I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides
for your children.

Give us the Wisdom to teach
our Children
to love, respect, and
to be kind to each other
so that they may grow with
Peace of Mind.

Let us learn to share
all good things
that you provide for us
on this Earth.

Brothers and Sisters all are we
With the Earth and the Sky
and Wind and Sea
Bound by one chord, one energy
Come together now…
In Harmony…

Listen to the Music…
Feel the Spirit…
Sing the Song—
from “Voices in the Wind”
by Lani


Peace be upon you!
You have a beautiful religion and culture. We share a common belief in the importance of God and family values. I have a friend who is Muslim who married a Christian. He told me that most of our beliefs are the same.
God bless,
Joe



I am praying for peace and a greater understanding of each other, across the oceans that separate us. May you realize the beauty that God created in you and may you always see God’s face reflected in each and every person along the path of life. We are blessed that God has given us the gift of Life. May we always treasure it and strive for peace and love in our lives. God bless!
Peace and Alla Maak
from your sister in the US.


To my Arab and Muslim brothers and sisters,
I love you and I pray that God will bless you and give you peace and happiness. I hope we can work together to build a more peaceful, happy, and Godly world.
Love,
Rebecca


Thank you for your message of love that reminds us that God’s love is like the sun, shining equally on us all.
Love, Beth


One God, for all people—To love and bless us all with peace.
--Ellen..


I was really impressed with your drawings. You are really talented. We invite you all to the United States. We hope you can come sometimes and we can show you our culture. Please be safe. I am against war and I hope it will be over soon.
from
Heather (Peace sign)


As far as I’m concerned, we people are all the same. Everyone lives on the same Earth, and all of humanity should unite to show it.
--Bob


Dear New Friends,
I am a mother of 2 boys. I think about the families in the Muslim world quite a bit. I cry when I think about the suffering caused to families through terrorism, violence and war. Many American people feel that way. We wish for peace and for understanding. I wish you well and hope for peace for all our countries.
Jackie
St. Charles Church

PS. Don’t believe American TV. It portrays the most sensationalistic over the top aspects of our culture. I don’t let my children watch it—just Public Broadcasting.


Dear Friends,
We are all children of God—May we all love (one) another.
-Parishioner at St. Charles Church


Dear Friends
In this wonderful world the God of all of us has blessed us. We should all get along, because we are told to care for one another, and to help those who need help. Working together, we can keep this world as wonderful as God made it.
In peace and justice,
Richard
Arlington, Virginia


We are all citizens of the world. We are all members of a global community. We must all help one another
Leah


My name is Kareema and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to talk to my Egyptian (and Muslim) brothers and sisters. Ezzeykum? Please keep in touch.
US Department of State Employee


Dear fellow pilgrims,
May God bless our mutual efforts to bring peace to this world.
With warmest regards,
Douglas


Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am married with three young sons. My wish for my family is that they could grow up in a world of peace; that they could appreciate how God can work through all of us and through all faiths.
In my own community, there is a mix of Christians and Muslims. I want you to know that the pastor of my church often speaks about the importance of supporting justice for all Muslims in the Middle East.
Peace,
Mark…


Dear Friends,
I am an American Christian and I know that there may be very different worlds in which (we) both live in. I hope that we can all work towards a global peace and understanding.
May Peace be with you and your family
Lex…


As Salaam Alaikum brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from the U.S.A. I am a Muslim American, originally from Lebanon. I have lived in many places before coming here: Switzerland, France, Canada in addition to Lebanon. America is the greatest place when it comes to freedom of religion. American people, in general, respect people of other faiths. Please do not confuse the American public with American public and foreign policy. If you try to build bridges of understanding directly with the people here, it will go towards fostering world peace and a better understanding of Islam.
Yours in Islam,
Amal


Dear Friend,
I wish we could all live in peace. This kind of exchange is helpful in making human to human contact. I wish you all the best from the bottom of my heart.
Jerry
Washington, DC



In 1992 I started my Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (www.imtd.org) --we take a systems approach to peace and know that people like you believe in peace and it starts with you.
Warm regards,
John
US Ambassador


Dear Islamic Friends especially Moehammad,

I pray and (think) of you every day. When I was suffering you invited me in your family—your brothers and sister—especially your Mother. She prayed daily for me and said “I love you”. Moe, dear I meet you in your humanity—you cry for your people and friends.
May Jesus, God and Holy Mother Mary offer you life in spite of death. The victory is won—work hard to maintain the peace. Love your enemies as yourself.
God speed—my husband awaits me.
Love,
Marie
Person


Dear Brothers and Sisters
I am a Christian American from Northern Virginia. I hope and pray that we will have peace in our world and especially in areas of the world where people suffer war, persecution, and poverty. I pray that we will all learn to serve the cause of peace and charity and live our faiths. I hope that our nations, our faiths, and especially us as individual people will grow to a greater understanding.
May God bless you,
R. Scott G…


I pray that God will grant us grace to live in peace together. Thank you for trying to show your friendship toward us.
Always,
Margo..

I pray for peace for all people in the world, and that everyone will get along and be kind to each other. If you ever come to America, please come and visit me.
Jeanne


Dear Friends
Greetings from Washington DC with hopes for peace and respect between all peoples.
Debbie
Annandale, Virginia


We are praying for peace

Dear Arab (and Muslim) Brothers and Sisters,
First of all I want to tell all of you that most of our Americans do not dislike you and are very much against the war and violence. I pray every day that the war will end and we can live together on the planet as one as God intended.
God bless you and keep all of you safe.
Rose

To my Brothers and Sisters
May we learn to live and love each other as God meant us to be.
Peace be with you.
Ralphina

Dear Brothers and Sister(s),

As an American Jew who appreciates what Israel provides to me—security from persecution, I think often of its relationship to the rest of the countries around it and hope and pray for a peace that will be good for all. As an American I worry about my country’s policies in the world and hope that good can come out instead of pain sooner instead of later. Mostly I pray for true leadership, here, where you are, and in Israel, so that we can move to all living in peace together.

Love, Cheri


Dear friends,
My deep hope and prayer is that violence will flee our hearts and God’s gifts of peace and love will be free to express their truth in all our relationships.
David J.


November 12 2006
Dear friends,
It is with great joy that I welcome this opportunity to send this message of peace and friendship. By reaching out to others from different cultures and countries, hopefully we will come to understandings that will allow us to recognize the good in each other. I feel very sure that most Americans and most Arabs (and Muslims) desire peace. Not peace at the expense of human rights and freedoms, but peace that grows from the love that we have for each other and our God.
I will continue to pray that we come to know and understand each other so that love and respect grow and we can have at last a peaceful world.

Sincerely in friendship
Karen

Brothers and Sisters—
We share the same struggles in living, in this life. It brings peace to be united in spirit an ocean away. Keep living in the Presence.
Together,
Ricky

Neighbors,
I pray the notes contained here inspire you to hope, as they have comforted and encouraged me. We are taught that the 3 greatest signs of the Almighty’s grace are: Faith, Hope, and Love—the greatest being Love. It is my humble prayer that this strengthens you in each, comforting you in His ability to work all things for the good.
Blessings,
Nathan


Hey Whut’s up!
You are not alone in your hope for peace. We fight for it every day in spirit.
Teddy & Alexis


Dear friends in the Middle East (and Muslim world)—
We think of you in peace, we pray for your wellbeing, and we look forward to the day when we can all see and respect one another’s humanity and dignity, regardless of creed, color, or political affiliation.
Nancy & Tom


Greetings to All,
Je vous salue en paix. I hope that this finds you all in good spirits. I, on behalf of the future of humanity, would like to say “Thank you” for being open, understanding and loving. For caring about what we in the US have to say. For not being limited by artificial borders. Your efforts to spread love globally are appreciated. Please stay strong and know that “darkness does not drive darkness out, only light can drive darkness out.” We should be the light in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Love is a very powerful tool. Let’s keep using it.
Je vous aime enormement.
Gros biscous a tous.
Hugs and kisses to all
Love
Toushi-
a child of God

To Our Friends
Please know that the American people are working very hard to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East. We are like water running downhill. We will go over, under, around, through the Bush Administration. Stand with us.

Salaam—Peace
We’re not all like what you see on TV.
Blessings to you all.

To Friends and Comrades
Many of us are working to end US Imperialism and work for TRUE freedom for everyone—no matter their religious, cultural, economic, etc. views.
Carol in DC

Salam Alekum!
Peace! Keep your Faith and persist in your struggle for Peace and Justice. We are with you in this struggle and feel for you in Egypt and the Arab Struggle—no matter what our governments say or stand for. Peace!
Tony in Washington DC

Un dien(?), un monde, un populace(?)
Vive la paix.

Dear Children of God, 11/12/06
We have so much in common. We value God’s personal characteristics of Virtue and true Love. Let’s pray together that the whole world may be converted to the True Spirit of God, free for all His Children--American, Muslim or Jew.
Peace,
Rommel



Dear Friends in the Moslem World,
I am working to purify all religions so that the beauty of Islam, Jewish faith and Christianity may be intertwined and shared.
Fr. Gerry
St. Charles Catholic Church



Dear Friend,
You have made some beautiful and meaningful pictures. Thank you for sharing them. Many of us in America want peace also. We see all people as children of God—Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists. We hope that your generation will work toward peace and understanding and respect for all.
Robin
Falls Church, Virginia

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I’m a Catholic/Orthodox/Presbyterian from Northern Virginia. We hope and pray for peace here and abroad. I hope all our faiths and cultures can share and learn from each other.
Peace!
Marisa V…


Dear fellow brothers and sisters,
I am pleased that we have a chance to reach out to one another. I look forward to one day having world peace. No matter what people say we are all the same.
Best,
Erica S.


God Bless!
Charles


I pray that Christians (including myself) have an opportunity to study the Qu’ran, and that Muslims have an opportunity to study the Christian bible. I believe we each can find words to live by in each other’s scriptures, but more importantly, I pray that true understanding of each other’s faiths will bring peace and prosperity to all.
Allah be merciful,
Rob


We are all Americans and I hope all the world can imagine peace.
Patrick


Hello everybody,
Well, I don’t quite know what to say, but I wish you all well. I hope you are happy and safe. I hope we can all find better understanding of each other. Much love to you and yours.
Amber


Peace to You,
Middle Eastern food for the body is delicious. I will pray for your spiritual food that you and I can unite in God.


Hi everyone!
I wish you all well.
--Allison (from New Jersey, USA)


Hello, again from New Jersey. New Jersey is an American state with a multi-cultural population. We do the best we can to understand each other, but don’t always succeed. I hope that you will be patient with America as we try to understand your rich and multi-cultural region!
Shukran—Vanessa…


Hey friends!
I’m a university student here in Washington, DC. I’m 19 years old and I’m fascinated with your part of the world. I’m working hard to learn all that I can so that one day you and I can work together to make the world a better place for everyone!
Love Erica


Hello from Arlington, Virginia! I am honored to send you my wishes for peace! Please say hello if you would like.
With love
Salam,
Cheryl


Hello Everyone!
I am a student at the George Washington University in D.C. I am also a Muslim-American and I am also dealing with my Muslim identity in an American setting which is difficult but also interesting. I am lucky enough to have both aspects of these cultures within me but many Americans are simply ignorant or afraid to learn. I think that communication and education is vital between our cultures and I praise you for being a part of this project.
Love

Dearest Friends,
We are all God’s children!
Love
Lynn


Dear friends,
I am (a) Brazilian Christian living in the US. I pray every single day for the world’s peace. I don’t believe in wars. I come from a very peaceful and friendly country—Brazil, and I really hope to see the peace spread around the world! Love and peace be with all of you!
From your sister in heart,
Nina


A salaam wa alekum!
God bless and take care.
Much love,
Meredith

Dear Friends,
We are all God’s children.

Dear friends
May the peace of God be with you.
Mary Beth

Dear Friends—
May God bless and protect you always!
Love,
Erin


Dear Friends
We are all one and if left alone we know how to get along—resist all leaders who advocate war. I send this message in peace. Let there be no division between us.
Sincerely,
Tom
Virginia, USA


Peace be with you!
I’m from (South) Korea which has been divided into two by ideology. I believe we can make a difference in building peace unless we give up.
Peace be with you, again!
Jin

Dear friends in the Middle East (and Muslim world),
Having recently been in the Palestinian Occupied Territories I have a greater understanding of the animosity and difficulties afflicting the region and I therefore reach out my hand in compassion and for friendship. We will only overcome fear and intolerance through contact and forging relationships; across borders, cultures, linguistic, political and religious differences.
Peace be with you.
Cecilia(?)
(Norway)
God Bless all the People and also you.


God bless you in your journey. God keep you safe.
Love Gael


Love and prayers always. God bless you all!
The Zuishi Family


God bless you and keep you safe!
The Chastulik Family


May peace come to your country and also in your lives.
The Marushak(?) Family


May you have a safe trip & God’s Blessings to you and all the people you meet on your way!!
Sandy

In the Lap of my German Grandmother, some 50 years ago, I learned: “Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me.”

Sunday, November 12, 2006
Hello!! Peace be with you.
The peace of our God enfold you and your loved ones.
Our priest at St. Margaret Mary’s Church in Moon Township, Pennsylvania—USA is a person of Arab descent, born in the United States. To know him is to love him. He is “down to earth,” approachable, warm, humble, funny, knowledgeable and sincere. I believe that he is a blessing to the lives of the people his life touches . . . a true instrument of God’s peace.
Although I do not know Rebecca Cataldi, a former parishioner of St. Margaret Mary’s Church and a member of the American-Arab Friendship project, I do know what it feels like to receive and give genuine friendship to and from another human being. This action of both giving and receiving friendship is being an Instrument of God’s Peace, in our world.
I believe that Peace is a gift that one person can bring to another person’s life, one-on-one, by taking the time to reach out, the willingness to allow one’s self to be open to and with the other, and by placing our trust in our Creator to lead us one by one—two by two to a nation by nation peace.
I am enclosing 3 prayer cards and a booklet of poems, which communicate peace through the human condition in both an individual and universal way. I share these with you so that your eyes may share what my eyes have seen and together, across the continents, our hearts can be united in friendship . . . thereby becoming Instruments of God’s Peace.
May our God bless, protect, strengthen and guide you and your loved ones.
In Friendship, Pat